


Reciprocal

by otqps



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5458766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otqps/pseuds/otqps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He gets a picture sent along to him, too, of Kuroo sprawled out on the couch with his legs over Akaashi’s and his head in Bokuto’s lap. “I’m being spoiled,” Kuroo says, with several smiling faces sent along, and Tsukishima sends back, “no kidding”, but can’t help but grin just a bit. He really has no idea just how much, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reciprocal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chiru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiru/gifts).



> (the bokukuro is queerplatonic, the bokuaka is romantic, but both are in the background!) 
> 
> ahhhh i really hope this is ok!! i was so unsure of what to do to emphasize kuroo being as cute and dorky as he often is, but i wanted to try and do something from another person's perspective, since i thought that'd be easier to comment on? this is shorter than i would have liked and i'm not sure you'll be satisfied, but i hope it makes you smile even the slightest!!

Tsukishima is used to being the one who’s pampered in their relationship, it’s something he’s aware of himself, and even if he wasn’t, no one would be likely to let him forget it. If he’s not being teased openly at practice by teammates stealing his phone to coo over his text messages, it’s his parents over the dinner table remarking on the fact that he seems so much happier lately, and doesn’t Kei smile more often nowadays? That might be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s embarrassing and he’s terrified of bringing Kuroo home, not because his parents won’t like him -- just the opposite, they’ll like him too much. Kuroo is all easy charm, confident in conversations and a good enough person to have most adults easily enamored with him; it’s only with his peers that he’s sarcastic and working to rile people up. 

That’s alright, though -- as much as that had gotten under Tsukishima’s skin in terms of annoyance, it wasn’t just annoyance, or they wouldn’t be here. “Here” being, somehow, still a couple even after Kuroo’s gone to college. He’d worked hard at that, Tsukishima knew, being part of a college prep class and being much more studious than people might expect from such a committed athlete. To no surprise, he’s living with Bokuto and Akaashi, and Tsukishima is stuck in a LINE chat with the three of them, though it’s not like he or Akaashi really talk in it. Sometimes in private, sometimes in the chat to moderate the silliness that Bokuto and Kuroo get up to. Tsukishima knows his own silence is in part just because he actually does like to watch their shenanigans, he gets to come off as judging while smiling at his phone, and he sort of thinks Akaashi does the same thing.

He’s not so good at letting Kuroo know that he does things like that, though, that he falls asleep to scanning through ridiculous stickers with some sort of small, fond look on his features, or saying how lucky he feels. Today’s agenda is to fix that, just a little bit. Bokuto had been given to keep Kuroo home this Friday night, to which he’d responded with great enthusiasm at the idea of being given such an important task. They’re having a movie marathon all night, apparently, or at least until Tsukishima gets there.

A Shinkansen trip is expensive, but he has some money from holidays saved up, and honestly, going to see his boyfriend is a worthy use of it, he feels, even if the trip is short. Something about surprising Kuroo feels nice anyway, especially when he gets a message that says “I miss you”, and that’s something he can actually fix this time. 

He gets a picture sent along to him, too, of Kuroo sprawled out on the couch with his legs over Akaashi’s and his head in Bokuto’s lap. “I’m being spoiled,” Kuroo says, with several smiling faces sent along, and Tsukishima sends back, “no kidding”, but can’t help but grin just a bit. He really has no idea just how much, after all. 

He’s past the point where pictures like that would prompt a twinge of jealousy, too, which is nice. Kuroo has something special, something different, with Bokuto, and that’s okay; it’s not a “more” or “less” sort of thing, just “different”. Talking with Akaashi about that had helped. 

“I don’t mind how they express affection,” he’d said, “it’s not an affront to me, it’s not that I get less in comparison.” 

Kuroo has stressed numerous times that he doesn’t like Bokuto romantically, that’s not what it is, but it’s important, and strong, and Tsukishima’s not sure if he has anyone that fits that same type of feeling and role, but it’s true, it’s not like he’s ever been neglected because of it. 

So now he can look at something like this, with Bokuto’s fingers tangled up in Kuroo’s hair fondly, probably trying to make some sort of semblance of neatness from his locks, and not feel nervous. Maturity probably helps with the feeling of security, Tsukishima will admit to that much, too.

The trip isn’t too terrible, all in all; once the shinkansen pulls in, it’s a bit of a ride on a local train and then about 20 minutes’ worth of walking to actually get to the apartment complex they all live in. His backpack feels a bit heavy on his shoulders and he’s a little bit tired from his day, since he’d still gone to school and practice, naturally, but he’s willing to put up with a lot for Kuroo. Kuroo puts up with a lot for him, after all.

Upon finally reaching the door, Tsukishima reaches up, knocking a little heavily so that it’s loud enough to hear over the television they probably still have on. It only takes a moment for him to hear footfalls before the door opens to reveal, lo and behold, Kuroo. There’s a brief flicker of obvious confusion on his face, wide eyes, a couple blinks, his eyebrows furrowed, but it seems to set in pretty quickly that Tsukishima is actually outside, and he breaks into a grin.

“Kei!” He’s stepping outside and tugging Tsukishima into a hug before he could even try to do anything about it, but he wouldn’t, anyway; instead, he wraps his arms around him, too, feeling Kuroo nuzzle into his neck for a moment before pulling back. “Uh, your parents know you’re here, right?”

He wants to bury his face in his hands already, because, truly, isn’t there anything else to say here? Like an “I miss you” or “wow, great surprise!” or “hey, good to see you”? Those are implicit, he knows, but still. 

“You think I came all the way to Tokyo without letting my parents know?” He says, voice dry already, as he brushes past Kuroo to head inside.

Kuroo pulls the door shut behind them and then loops an arm around Tsukishima’s waist to pull him back in close once more, face to face, an apologetic sort of smile on his lips now.

“You never know! Something could have happened, geez, forgive me for trying to be both responsible and make sure your parents still like me.” 

He’s big on that, for some reason, as if they both don’t know that Kuroo’s hoping for something longterm. Tsukishima is, too, but that’s another thing he hasn’t exactly voiced, and he knows Kuroo stays pretty silent on it for the sake of not making him uncomfortable. 

“You’re not that much older, you know,” Tsukishima says, but his tone betrays the fact that he’s not annoyed, more like fond; maybe reluctantly, but fond even still. 

“I know. Anyway,” Kuroo leans in then, brushes his lips against Tsukishima’s only for a moment, but Tsukishima’s eyes flutter shut anyway, “good to see you. Thanks for coming. It means a lot.” The warmth in his tone brings a flush to Tsukishima’s cheeks more than the brief kiss had, because there’s still something really remarkable about being able to make someone like Kuroo, who is so outgoing and well-liked, happy like this. 

He threads their fingers together, giving Kuroo a little bit of a smile too while he’s at it. “Are you still watching movies?”

Kuroo squeezes his hand, lets out a little laugh as he leads them into the apartment, “so you’re why Bokuto insisted we stay home tonight, huh? That’s devious. Also kind of shocking that he didn’t end up telling me the surprise before you got here.” 

He can’t help but snicker a little at that.

“I think it was Akaashi-san’s job to cover his mouth every time he was tempted to.” 

There’s a snort in response to that, and it’s silly, but Tsukishima’s still happy every time he manages to get a reaction out of him.

“Yeah, that sounds right.” 

Kuroo opens the door to his room for a moment so Tsukishima can dump his backpack there before they head out to join the other two in the living room, and it’s like the moment Tsukishima comes into view, Bokuto knows, because he’s jerking upright on the couch and waving with the arm that isn’t around Akaashi.

“You made it, Tsukki! Mission accomplished! He was surprised, right? I didn’t give it away!” 

“It’s not like he’s very satisfying to surprise, but thanks.” 

It’s still a little awkward to rely on people and say that, but it’s sincere anyway, and directed at Akaashi too, who gives him a nod. Kuroo starts grabbing pillows and a blanket, making some sort of makeshift nest or something akin to that on the floor and settles himself down, patting the spot in front of him for Tsukishima to join.

“C’mon! Back to the movie.” 

Tsukishima eyes it warily for a moment before he joins; the floor is still hard and uncomfortable but the pillows do help, and Kuroo’s warmth up against him is worth that much. They’re spooning, one of Kuroo’s favorite things to do, and he yanks a blanket over them, taking great care to make sure Tsukishima’s feet are tucked in under. 

“Comfy?” 

Quite.

“Moderately.” 

He doesn’t even know what they’re watching, but Kuroo has his hands folded over his stomach and his chin on Tsukishima’s shoulder and frankly, he really finds it hard to care. 

They make it through one whole movie, a spy one, and begin another one, something paranormal but also a parody, Tsukishima doesn’t really know, before Kuroo starts whispering in his ear.

“It’s her brother,” he says, lips far too close to his skin, “the guy in the mask.”

Tsukishima elbows him lightly, entirely out of embarrassment as opposed to any actual investment in the plot.

“Don’t make weird things up.”

“I’m not! I’ve seen this before.”

“Then don’t spoil,” he shoots back, getting a kiss to his neck in apology. “Was it not worth watching twice?” 

There’s a murmur that sounds like a “no”, and Kuroo holds onto him a bit tighter, which makes it more and more difficult to pay attention to strange, half-television half-man character on the screen, since he’d honestly just like to cuddle. It doesn’t seem like good form, though, to come all the way to Tokyo to your boyfriend’s home where several mutual acquaintances, if not friends? also live there and then just disappear to curl up in bed and not let go. 

“It’s just not how I’d like to spend the whole night with you here, that’s all.” 

Tsukishima shifts to lay on his back, now, in order to see Kuroo’s face, and furrows his eyebrows. There’s still the element of guilt; it’s not like he’s the world’s nicest person by any means, but he doesn’t want to be completely rude to people who have, actually, shown him a lot of kindness. Especially Akaashi, who hasn’t done anything wrong.

“Do you think they’d mind?” 

“Uh, Kei, Bokuto is asleep. So, no.” 

He shifts up a little, away from Kuroo and whispering and the closeness that’s so tempting in order to look up on the couch, and true enough, Bokuto is slumped over halfway laying on Akaashi, who has one hand stroking his hair. He meets Tsukishima’s gaze, gives a tiny, sheepish smile, an expression that he’s never really seen on Akaashi before. 

He’s suddenly very sure they won’t be missed at all, so he plops back down to Kuroo, who looks more amused than Tsukishima ever really likes when it’s because of him. “Okay. Get up, then.” 

Kuroo does, throwing the pillows back towards their proper places on the couch and lounge chair, letting the blanket stay messily placed back over the chair, too. Tsukishima makes a small note to himself to fold that before he leaves, if Akaashi doesn’t get to it first.

“G’night Akaashi! Thanks for dinner earlier, by the way.” 

Kuroo gives him a grin, moving around the couch and towards his bedroom with some sort of bounce in his step that Tsukishima will probably never understand. Kuroo is the type of person who has optimism that shows through in virtually everything he does, and Tsukishima’s just the opposite, really, pessimistic and surly almost always -- sometimes he’s still not quite sure why Kuroo likes him, he’s just learned to stop worrying about it.

“Good night,” Akaashi replies, craning his neck to look over at Kuroo as he says it, but he shifts back to look at Tsukishima in no time at all. “There are leftovers in the refrigerator if you get hungry later.” It’s very kind, and Tsukishima doesn’t really know what to do with that, either. The idea that Akaashi and Bokuto might really consider him friends and be fine with him in their home isn’t impossible to comprehend, but that thoughtfulness still leaves him somehow feeling even more like an intruder. 

“Thank you,” and he tries to make it sound genuine, “good night, and good luck with that.” 

“That” being Bokuto, of course. Akaashi laughs, which is to say he lets out one soft “heh” and that’s about it, but it feels like an accomplishment. 

Kuroo’s room is a welcome escape from the other two, because at least he knows how much Kuroo likes him and how genuinely he does; with Bokuto and Akaashi, he’s never quite sure whether it’s just politeness or for Kuroo’s sake that they treat him well. 

There’s time to mull over that later, though -- Kuroo’s at his desk, computer open, with only his desk light on. His background, though obscured by an internet browser at the moment, is still a picture of the two of them, Tsukishima knows. Just the two of them by a river in Miyagi, where he’d begged Tsukishima to lean over and kiss him on the cheek and stay there long enough for just one picture -- at the time, he’d grumbled about it, but once he’d seen how brightly Kuroo had smiled, it felt worth it.

It still does, even if it also makes his cheeks a little pink. The picture is too small for his screen, too, so he just has it centered with his desktop icons surrounding it and it looks ridiculous, he feels, but it’s sort of cute. There’s still something horrifying about the idea of him bringing it to campus and using it in lecture halls where anyone could see that, though.

“Looking something up?” 

“Yep, just one sec. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be right with you, handsome.”

Well. If he wasn’t already blushing, he would be now. There’s still something that feels tenuous about just settling himself in Kuroo’s bed, too, but that’s happened enough that he can get over it. Tsukishima pulls back the blankets, crawls in and curls up. He likes Kuroo’s bed, if that isn’t too strange to say -- the sheets are a bright red, soft from use and repeated washings, he has three or four pillows at any given time, and, much to his pleasure, there’s still the blanket with different cats on it that Tsukishima had gotten him as “a joke” there too.

A few moments later after he’s sufficiently stolen the covers, Kuroo stands up, and starts clearing off his nightstand of a textbook, an empty bottle of water, his wallet… 

“Is there a point to this?” Tsukishima asks, eyebrows raised, watching Kuroo with his head on the fluffiest pillow present. 

His laptop gets set down on the now empty space and Kuroo smiles at him proudly before trying to join him in bed. Tsukishima sticks his foot out against Kuroo’s stomach to stop him, shuffling further back so there’s space in front of him on the bed now.

“I want to be the big spoon this time.”

Never had Tsukishima really considered that those words would come out of his mouth, but here he is; it’s all Kuroo’s fault, he prompts a lot of unexpectedness from Tsukishima, more than he knows.

“Ooh, lucky me.” 

That’s all he says, no teasing or anything, he only lays down for Tsukishima to come and do as he pleases, and Tsukishima appreciates that, really. He shoves his face against Kuroo’s back, lifting a hand to run it up and down Kuroo's arm. He's not quick to warm up, but this shy affection is still affection, and he knows it still matters to Kuroo.

That arm is hard to reach, though, with Kuroo messing with his laptop still. A couple clicks later there's sound, and Tsukishima doesn't lift his head, not really invested, honestly, but he's still curious.

"Are you going to finally explain?"

"It's Jurassic Park! I downloaded it for us a while ago, and now you're here, so. Perfect timing."

Honestly, he just starts laughing.

“You brought me in here to watch another movie?”

“It’s different when it’s just the two of us! You love dinosaurs!”

Both things are true, and Kuroo’s very sweet to have considered it, but…

“It’s not what I had in mind.” 

To emphasize that, he braves a kiss to the back of Kuroo’s neck, something light and sweet, he hopes, but still something to get the point across that he was hoping for time just to kiss him, really. Kuroo’s a great person to kiss, and even though Tsukishima’s never kissed anyone else, he feels very sure of that. Kuroo’s the type of person who pulls back ever so often, and that’s frustrating, but it’s usually just to give a quick nuzzle or rub his nose against Tsukishima’s fondly or kiss his cheek instead, he’s the type of person who seems to remember everything about what Tsukishima likes. He works hard to be able to offer the same attentiveness back. 

Kuroo turns to face him, and there’s not anything particularly new about the way he’s looking at him, but it still sends thrills up Tsukishima’s spine. 

“What’d you have in mind?”

He knows, of course he knows, but he’d rather Tsukishima show him. He can oblige Kuroo that this time, at least. 

He kisses him with every intent to linger; it’s a long peck, something he hopes conveys the depth of what he really feels, something that gives Kuroo the same sort of sweetness he showers Tsukishima with. The smile on his lips when Tsukishima moves back just a bit gives him hope for that. The second time he moves in, Kuroo’s lips part under his easily, and that, too, gives him shivers -- it’s nice to feel like that was welcome, like Kuroo’s just as eager. 

It’s easy to lose track of time like that, and it isn’t until the theme song to the series starts playing that Kuroo drags himself away from Tsukishima, catching his breath. He has his hands slightly up Tsukishima’s shirt, running his hands up and down his sides, making Tsukishima squirm while he tries not to laugh -- Tsukishima has a hand in his hair, the other one cupping Kuroo’s cheek, but none of that stops him from asking -- “are you sure you don’t wanna watch?”

“Tetsurou,” he says, admittedly feeling a little bad, “I’ve seen it already. It’s fine.”

There’s genuine distress on Kuroo’s face and he just wants to kiss it away, make him shut off the movie, turn off the light and go back to nibbling at Tsukishima’s lip, but no such luck. 

“Seriously? I guess it has been out for a while…”

He’s frowning still, so Tsukishima rubs his thumb along the apple of his cheek, hoping that’s a tiny consolation.

“I’m not disappointed. I just want you to kiss me. That not happening is disappointing.”

Kuroo blinks, looking taken aback for the second time tonight, but recovers quickly yet again, withdrawing a hand (and Tsukishima misses it immediately) to shut his laptop. 

“Well,” Kuroo says, back to a cheerful tone, settling himself over Tsukishima, “we wouldn’t want that.”

There’s a small part of Tsukishima that admits to missing the theme music, kissing Kuroo with that playing is not the worst moment in his life by any means, but the way Kuroo presses up against him now without anything to focus on but them isn’t bad either. 

*

In the morning, Tsukishima finds Kuroo’s face between two pillows once more, despite falling asleep on Tsukishima’s chest instead. He’s yet to stay over and find Kuroo in any other position, and it’s becoming a private goal to find some way for Kuroo to wake up without his bizarre bedhead at least once in their relationship. 

“Unbelievable,” he says, leaning over to kiss one of his shoulderblades. 

Kuroo shoves one pillow aside to mumble, “you love it,” despite still looking and sounding half-asleep (though remarkably attractive despite that even now). 

“You. I love you, not this. I just deal with this.”

“Can you keep dealing with it?” 

There’s probably no seriousness in that question, but Tsukishima takes it as such anyway.

“Most likely,” is his answer, but there’s enough softness in his voice that he knows Kuroo will know that’s a yes.

“I’ll make breakfast,” Kuroo offers, scooting closer and clearly trying to make himself look cute to win Tsukishima over.

“We’ll take turns.”

Kuroo’s smile is so wide that Tsukishima’s heart hurts.

They both go quiet, almost drifting off again, until Kuroo reaches down to thread his fingers together with Tsukishima’s, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

“I love you too, by the way.”

He’s never failed to say it back, and that, along with how dorky he somehow manages to be, is probably why Tsukishima feels more comfortable here and now than he ever has.


End file.
